Shock and Awe, 1917 Gary Graves, CBC News Online | April 9, 2003 We may marvel at the firepower of the hundreds of missiles and smart bombs used in U.S. attacks on Iraq, but an overwhelming battlefield fusillade creating shock and awe is not a new idea. In fact, Canadian soldiers fighting in the First World War were pioneers of the tactic. Click for map Source: National Archives It was at Vimy Ridge, a strategic 14-kilometre long escarpment that overlooks the Douai plain of France. German occupy...

Vimy Ridge This essay will describe the events that took place at Vimy Ridge during World War I. Britain and France both attempted to take control of the Ridge which was currently occupied by the German Army and both failed. It was left to the Canadian Army to take the Ridge. This essay will prove that after many struggles, and careful preparation, Canada was defined as a Nation at Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was a key to the German defence system. It rose 61 m. above the Douai Plain which favoured t...

Robert Ross was a fictional character, but one who could be viewed a representative of how seriously the horrors of World War One affected impressionable young Canadian soldiers. Canada's involvement in the First World War was one of immense proportions. However, this tremendous commitment introduced many battle-unsullied Canadians to the horrors of war. The Dominion of Canada sent over 625,000 men and several thousand women to the front from the years 1914-1918". This was the beginning of the s...

LIEUTENANT -- GENERAL SIR ARTHUR CURRIE (A brief account of the battle of Passchendaele) Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie was the most capable soldier that Canada has produced. Certainly, he did not look like the great soldier he had become. A very tall man, at six-foot-four, he was also somewhat overweight. Through his successes as the Commander of the Canadian Corps, he knew how to delegate authority and stand by the decisions of his subordinates. Currie, however, was not a professional so...

Remembrance Day On November 11th, Canadians all across the country stop to remember all of the men who died and suffered in war. The veterans were not the only ones who suffered, for war has no respect for age or sex. Mothers and siblings suffered. Each family dreaded a telegraph boy showing up at their door, for it meant only two things- injury or death. People knew their freedom was in jeopardy and they were prepared to fight and die for it. Freedom does not give anyone the right to call anoth...

My very first question is, how did you come to be a Canadian General? From as long as I remember I always pictured myself to be in a General's outfit and have all these soldiers paying heed and accepting my command, however, this seemed like a distant and unrealistic dream to me at that time. At the beginning of the war I enlisted in the militia and this is which actually gave me the opportunity to work my way up the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel of the artillery. In your opinion, what sh...

Ortona Was forced to be captured by Canadian because it was blocking their path to Rome The Germans blew up many bridges in the area to give them an advantage This worked temporarily, since the number of Canadian deaths were significantly high However, the Canadian's eventually went on to winning the battle, even against Germany's elite troops December 27 was when Ortona was capture by the Canadians Canada's role was very effective Dieppe August 1942 - five thousand Canadian troops on the French...